Kathryn Sprunger

Kathryn “Kate” Elaine Sprunger, 93, of Berne went peacefully to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on Monday, April 15, 2019 at Swiss Village Retirement Community in Berne. She was the daughter of Noah and Amelia Sprunger.

She was characterized by a strong, meticulous work ethic and being a life-long learner. She was known for her quick wit, her love of books and an interest in politics and current events. Following graduation from Geneva High School in Geneva, she worked at Sprunger and Lehman’s in Berne where she loved helping and serving customers. 

Soon she sensed the call of God to continue to advance her education in a Christian context, which led her to travel out of state to attend Bob Jones University School of Commerce in Greenville, SC, where she studied business administration. Following her time at Bob Jones, for a number of years, she pursued a career in modeling, working for the young and thriving companies of Revlon and Sears & Roebuck, traveling the eastern half of the United States. She eventually settled in Chicago, Illinois off of North Lake Shore Drive in an apartment overlooking Lake Michigan. There in Chicago, she resumed her interest in business. 

For the next 40 years, she worked as a legal secretary for multiple prominent Chicago attorneys and political figures. Always the one eager to learn, she continued to advance her education and hone her secretarial and administrative skills by taking classes at the Management Center of Cambridge, Massachusetts and excelling in evening classes at Central YMCA Community College and Robert Morris College in Chicago. 

Since her youth, she was a member of First Mennonite Church of Berne.

She is survived by her two sisters, Helen (Sprunger) Buckingham; and Marjorie (Sprunger) Gaskill, both of Berne; two sisters-in-law, Grace (Baumgartner) Sprunger of Berne; and Mary Lou (Barger) Sprunger of Columbus; and brother-in-law, Larry Gaskill of Berne.  

She was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, Roger (Deloris) Sprunger; Adrian Sprunger; and  Stanley Sprunger; and brother-in-law, Clarence “Ittle” Buckingham. 

Visitation will be two hours prior to the 4:00 p.m. funeral service on Saturday, April 20 at the Swiss Village auditorium in Berne. Officiating will be her nephew Rev. Dr. Jeff Gaskill. Burial will be at MRE Cemetery in Berne.

Memorials may be made to the Swiss Village Samaritan Fund and Grace Bible Church. 

Arrangements provided by Haggard-Sefton-Hirschy & Zelt Funeral Home in Decatur. To sign the guestbook, click on www.hshfuneralhome.com.